THE LOVE-CHILD. 



563 



a keeper in the offing/' said he, " and take whatever course I may 

 he can get me under his fore-foot : mind your eye, and don't stammer 

 if questioned." As he was retreating, I ventured to mention my 

 shilling ; and he intimated by one gesture, not only that he had forgot- 

 ten it, but that he felt perfectly conscious of its importance, and draw- 

 ing the desideratum from his pocket, tossed it at my mouth ; I caught it 

 between my teeth, and in an instant, lodged it safely under my tongue. 



The keeper did not think proper to intercept Blue Peter ; but made 

 directly towards me it was Ezra. He looked with evident anxiety 

 at my leg, and with the utmost sincerity expressed his satisfaction at 

 perceiving that the punctures made by the shot were rapidly healing. 

 His wife, he said, was spinning two pair of stockings for me luxuries 

 which latterly, during hard frosts, I had frequently invoked, but could 

 not achieve. I was bare-footed ; and it occurred to me, that the use 

 of stockings would necessarily entail the purchase of shoes. This I 

 mentioned to Ezra, and he promised to provide me with a pair ; that 

 is, if I would avoid bad company, and be ambitious. I didn't know 

 what he meant. " Why here/' said he, (C I've just caught you hand- 

 in-glove with that rascal Blue Peter, my brother-in-law: a little 

 chap of such promise to play scarecrow to a bit of a farmer too ! It 

 an't decent, mind me, in a lad that's cute. Why, t'other night I 

 could have sworn 'twere a fox, or else, of course, I shouldn't ha' shot; 

 and they do say, there yeant a beast in the field, from a bee to a bul- 

 lock, that you can't mimic birds included. I should like to hear 

 you crow !" Ezra's manner was so open that it imposed upon me, 

 and I obliged him. The challenge was immediately answered by 

 little Mousey, from his bag beneath the bank. I had fallen into the 

 snare. 



Ezra soon brought Mousey to light. " I were sure o' this/' said 

 he, wringing the poor little cock's neck ; " where has he put the 

 pheasants ?" Unconsciously I looked at the blackberry bush, and in 

 a moment Ezra nosed the game. " Now," said he, " here's enough 

 to transport thee, lad : but we be far from harsh : on the contrary, 

 we'll try to save thee. Look up in the world, cut your low ac- 

 quaintance, and may be, I may be able to make you a dog-boy ; 

 there's the livery you know bright blue and silver lace." 



At the mention of the livery my virtue dwindled to the admeasure- 

 ment of a pin's point ; I forgot Farmer Belroy, Blue Peter, nay, even 

 little Agnes, and longed for my instalment. To be a dog-boy, an 

 attendant on Squire Patch's pointers, was to attain a pre-eminence 

 beyond which there was nothing to desire. I closed with Ezra at 

 once ; and he directed me to be in waiting near the stable yard by 

 noon the following day. 



Next morning I scorned breakfast, and sallied forth to Transom 

 Torr for the purpose of crowing over my companions on the pros- 

 pect of my approaching employment. This I thought would serve 

 to wile away the lazy hours, until the period of my appointment with 

 Ezra ; but I was above joining in the tumble, and accompanied the 

 coach as a dignified spectator up the hill. My shilling I had already 

 converted into halfpence ; and, on reaching the summit of the steep, 

 where the stage horses were put into a briskish pace, I gathered a 



